Cilantro Lime Brown Rice (Chipotle copycat!)

Yep, that’s right, just like you find in your burrito at Chipotle. This rice is super easy to make as a side dish or as an addition to make-ahead frozen burritos. Or piled up with with beans, vegetables, salsa, sour cream, and avocado. It’s very versatile, very tasty, very inexpensive, and super simple.

Whenever I make rice, I toast it slightly in butter before adding water. It adds a deeper depth of flavor to the rice. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium pot over medium heat, and add 1 cup of brown rice (I used basmati), the zest of one lime, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and toast, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes.

Add 1 and 3/4 cups of water (or chicken or vegetable stock, if you are feeling crazy).

Stir, bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat to low. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the liquid has been absorbed.

Stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and the juice of the same lime you zested.

I love the combo of flavors! I just wanted to let you know that I have a website (Simply Creative Recipes) where I showcase recipes that I find and I am linking to this post if you don’t mind. Please feel free to submit any of your recipes to my site if you’d like.

Jenny- thanks for catching that! I often forget to put the measurements for butter or oil since I usually just eyeball it :-) 1/2 tablespoon should be good (although if you are in a buttery mood, a full tablespoon would make the dish richer and delicious!). Hope this helps- fixing the recipe now!

Don’t worry! I believe that number represents the ENTIRE batch of rice, not one serving! It has about 6-8 servings of rice (depending on how hungry you are or how big of a side you want it to be). So if you have 8 servings, that’s actually fewer than 100 calories a serving! :-) The nutrition info just started showing up in my recipes and I have to do some tweaking to try and figure out how it works. Thanks for the heads up, and sorry for the confusion!

I had to improvise to work with what was in the pantry, which is why I am commenting – my first time & likely last, to comment on any site anywhere on the www. :-).

The improv began with discovering there was no fresh lime in the house – say it isn’t so! I had the lime juice in the green bottle that lives in the frig, but I had half a dozen fresh lemons. Decisions, decisions… Fresh trumps a bottle, in my opinion, so it was decided. The gamble paid off. It worked with this meal, so I thought I would share and say “Thanks.”

1 Tbs Olive oil & sea salt Land of Lakes Butter (was in the freezer & the first thing I grabbed.)
1 cup Lundberg Organic California White Bazmati rice (I didn’t even know I had this – must have been a recent purchase by my darling daughter)
1 3/4 c water added about 3 minutes after the rice & butter had become better acquainted in the pan on medium heat

Per your instructions, about 20ish minutes later, voila – juice of a lemon and 1/4 or a little more freshly chopped cilantro thrown in after removing the rice from the burner and dinner is served. Start to finish, all in under 30 minutes – That’s a winner in my book!

I was a little concerned the rice was going to be sticky when I first peered in after lifting the lid, but it turned out wonderfully well! It did not achieve its lovely texture until the juice and cilantro were added, but then it was absolute perfection!

My entire family enjoys lime cilantro rice quite often in our favorite Tex-Mex restaurants and will continue to enjoy yours at home! I would not say this evening’s lemon version would surpass my desire for the great lime creation; however, this really complemented the meal beautifully. In fact, my hubby and I decided the rice & salad were so tasty together, I plan to create a new dish inspired by the combinatino of ingredients for a tasty light lunch sometime soon. Thanks so very much for your recipe. Supper was saved by a Bowl of Delicious!

This is awesome- I think it’s ALWAYS better to use fresh citrus than the bottled stuff, plus lemon goes so well with fish! I’ll have to try this soon. Thanks for the suggestion, and for the comment! :-)

I have not done it in a rice cooker, but I would still precook the rice and stir in the lime juice and cilantro at the end. I almost always add fresh herbs at the end of cooking because the flavor is stronger, and I’m not sure if the acidity of the lime juice would affect the way the rice cooks. Hope you like it! :-)

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Hello! Welcome to Bowl of Delicious!

I'm Elizabeth, nice to meet you! I live in central Texas with my husband Zach, two kitties (Oscar and Olive), and a baby on the way. My recipes are made from whole ingredients and are freezer friendly, make-ahead, slow cooker, and/or quick & easy. My philosophy is that that eating and cooking should relieve the stress of a busy lifestyle, not contribute to it, and that you can eat healthy, whole foods without making yourself crazy. Learn more!

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Hello! I’m so glad you’re here.

I'm Elizabeth, nice to meet you! I live in central Texas with my husband Zach, two kitties (Oscar and Olive), and a baby on the way. My recipes are made from whole ingredients and are freezer friendly, make-ahead, slow cooker, and/or quick & easy. My philosophy is that that eating and cooking should relieve the stress of a busy lifestyle, not contribute to it, and that you can eat healthy, whole foods without making yourself crazy. learn more!

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